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image credit & copyright: Dario Giannobile




what's happening above that volcano ?

although Mount Etna is seen erupting, the clouds are not related to the eruption

they are lenticular clouds formed when moist air is forced upwards near a mountain or volcano

the surreal scene was captured by chance late last july when the astrophotographer went to Mount Etna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Sicily, Italy, to photograph the conjunction between the Moon and the star Aldebaran

the Moon appears in a bright crescent phase, illuminating an edge of the lower lenticular cloud

red hot lava flows on the right


besides some breathtaking stills, a companion time-lapse video of the scene shows the lenticular clouds forming and wavering as stars trail far in the distance:






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in apod.nasa.gov/apod